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Campaign Almanac: Trump video ratchets up rift with Reynolds
In a video posted to social media, Trump levies heavy criticism of Iowa Gov. Reynolds and his presidential primary challenger Ron DeSantis
Nov. 21, 2023 6:09 pm, Updated: Jun. 4, 2024 2:09 pm
The rift between former President Donald Trump and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appeared to grow Tuesday as Trump’s campaign posted on social media a video in which he roasts Reynolds and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Trump has been displeased with Reynolds ever since she first informed Trump of her plan to remain neutral in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Trump’s displeasure grew earlier this month when Reynolds strayed from that plan — and nearly 30 years of precedent by Iowa governors — by endorsing DeSantis for president.
In the one-minute video, posted by the Trump campaign’s official account on X, Trump excoriates Reynolds and DeSantis while noting Reynolds’ unfavorable rating and his lead over DeSantis in the presidential primary polls.
Kim Reynolds is the most Unpopular Governor in America… pic.twitter.com/lmhwCJusEs
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) November 21, 2023
“Kim Reynolds of Iowa has gone from a popular governor to the most unpopular governor in the entire United States of America. Not an easy feat,” Trump says in the video. “Her endorsement of Ron ‘DeSanctimonious,’ who is 50 points down to me in the polls, has given him exactly zero bounce. He’s a wounded bird falling violently from the sky. I wonder what position Kim was promised in order to back someone who is so far down in the polls.”
In Morning Consult’s quarterly governor approval ratings for the third quarter of 2023, Reynolds’ approval rating was at 49 percent and her disapproval at 47 percent. The latter is the highest number in the nation, making her “America’s most unpopular governor,” according to Morning Consult.
No. 2 on that list is DeSantis, whose numbers in Florida were 51 percent approve and 45 percent disapprove.
However, Reynolds is popular among Iowa Republicans — many of whom will be choosing their preferred presidential candidate in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican caucuses on Jan. 15.
In a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll published in August, Reynolds’ approval rating among Iowa Republicans was 81 percent against 18 percent who disapproved.
Reynolds’ Iowa Poll approval number among Republicans in August was down from 86 percent in March, and from 93 percent in October of 2022, just before her re-election victory.
Trump has held a consistent and commanding lead in polling on the Republican presidential primary, both nationally and in Iowa.
In rolling averages of polls on Republican presidential candidates in Iowa, Trump’s support is at 47 percent at Real Clear Politics and 44.7 percent at FiveThirtyEight. Second-place DeSantis is at 17.3 percent at Real Clear Politics and 17.5 percent at fivethirtyeight, or 29.7 and 27.2 points behind Trump, respectively — not 50, as Trump claimed in the video.
Nationally, Trump’s lead over DeSantis in the polls is 45.4 points at Real Clear Politics and 47.1 points at FiveThirtyEight.
Reynolds, later Tuesday from her campaign account on X, appeared to respond to Trump’s video.
“It’s not about me. It’s about our country,” Reynolds posted, without mentioning Trump or the video. “(DeSantis) follows through on his promises, can serve 8 years, and has a WINNING record. He’s the most effective leader I’ve ever seen. If you like what we are doing in Iowa, you’ll love what he’ll do for this country!”
It’s not about me. It’s about our country.@RonDeSantis follows through on his promises, can serve 8 years, and has a WINNING record. He’s the most effective leader I’ve ever seen.
— Kim Reynolds (@KimReynoldsIA) November 21, 2023
If you like what we are doing in Iowa, you’ll love what he’ll do for this country!
Vander Plaats endorses DeSantis
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis picked up another key Iowa endorsement, this one from Christian conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats.
Vander Plaats announced his endorsement on Fox News, calling DeSantis a “bold and courageous leader.”
“We need to find somebody who can win in 2024,” Vander Plaats said on Fox News, pointing to Republican election losses across the nation in 2022. “I just think he’s (DeSantis) got the spine to do it, and I think he’s got the experience to win for us.”
Vander Plaats has endorsed the past three winners of the first-in-the-nation Iowa Republican caucuses: Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Ted Cruz in 2016. However, none of those three became the Republican Party’s nominee for president.
The Family Leader, a Christian conservative advocacy organization of which Vander Plaats is president and CEO, recently hosted its second presidential forum this year, featuring DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy. Donald Trump, the former president and current leader in Republican presidential primary polling, declined an invitation to the event.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds also has endorsed DeSantis.
Trump leads another poll in Iowa
Former President Donald Trump leads the field of Republican presidential candidates at 44 percent, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are each at 17 percent, according to a new poll from an Iowa-based advocacy group for agricultural interests.
The poll was commissioned by Fields of Freedom, which is run by Jake Swanson, a former energy policy adviser to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The poll was conducted by Arc Insights, which surveyed 800 likely Iowa Republican caucus participants from Nov. 9 through Nov. 14, using calls to landlines and mobile phones, and texting. The poll’s margin for error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Veterans group endorses 3rd District Democrat
VoteVets Political Action Committee endorsed Lanon Baccam, a Democrat running to unseat Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District.
Baccam is a former U.S. Department of Agriculture official and Iowa National Guard veteran.
The son of Tai Dam refugees from Laos and a native of Mount Pleasant who now lives in Des Moines, Baccam enrolled in the Iowa National Guard at 17 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2004 as a combat engineer, focusing on explosive demolitions and force protection in and around Kandahar. While at the USDA, Baccam worked to support training and entrepreneurship opportunities for veterans transitioning to careers in agriculture.
VoteVets, according to its website, seeks to elevate the voices of veterans and military families “through progressive legislative policies and electoral endorsements that impact the lives of active service members, veterans, and the country.”
Melissa Vine, a Democrat and nonprofit leader from Des Moines, has also announced her candidacy for Iowa’s 3rd district U.S. House seat. A third Democrat, Des Moines therapist Tracy Limon, has also filed to enter the race but has not made a public announcement.
Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau